45 Lessons I Learned from Student Teaching

I have a confession to make: I am someone who tends to reflect on the negative situations that occur before appreciating the positive lessons I’ve gained. I find that from negative experiences come valuable learning opportunities, that is, once you have deciphered them from the muddy situation at hand. I found this to be something I did often during my first student teaching experience… Why did that lesson not go the way I had planned? Why did that student talk to me the way they did? Why didn’t everyone finish their project today? These were all questions I pondered once the school day was over, as I tried to find reasons and explanations during my own personal reflection. However, thinking back now, I mainly remember the amazing moments I had during my student teaching placement: the lessons I taught that went over well, the many laughs I shared with my students, and the incredible projects that my students submitted.

Reflection is a huge part of personal improvement. I try every day to be better than the last, especially when it comes to my teaching. That is why for my last student teaching experience, I challenged myself to write 1 takeaway lesson at the end of each school day – good, bad, or otherwise! Although there were obviously many lessons I learned throughout each day, I stuck to my initial challenge of 1 per day. Thus, my list of 45 lessons I learned from student teaching was born.